New Make & Take Projects

I am loving the New Kaszazz Catalogue…I’m also loving all the new Workshops and Projects for the FREE Make & Takes that have been created by some of the very talented Consultants across Australia.

Today I’m planning on featuring the New Make & Take Projects with you. These are the FREE Projects we do at Markets, Festivals, Events and for our own Open Houses. These are a great way for people to come along and discover they CAN craft. 🙂

Which is your favourite? Which one/s leap out at you for your attention?

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I’m asking as I’ve got no idea just yet as to a fave…they’re all just too cute and adorable and too perfect to pick one. Ahhh, First World Problem. 🙂

Till Tomorrow!! xxx

Techie Tuesday ~ How To Emboss with Dies

It’s Techie Tuesday again….I love this time of the week, I really do. I did promise in the Holly Background Post that I would share with you How To create these stunning backgrounds yourself and this is it! 😀

 

First up, I’ll admit I did some Prep Work the night before by spritzing my Cards with a mix of Perfect Pearls and Water. I wanted a more ‘shimmery’ look for this Post. Mission accomplished. Without further ado, let’s craft!!

Perfect Pearls Spritzed over for a shimmery effect.

**Warning; this is a very photo heavy Post, so please bear with me if it’s taking longer to load than usual. There’s way too much background noise around the neighbourhood to do a video this time.**

• Trim your Cardstock to a little larger than the size you require for your Card. All shall be revealed very shortly. You’ll want to trim an extra piece of Card (I’ve used White Cardstock) and attach with Glossy Accents or Super Tape so you have a thicker base.
  

  
• Select the Dies you wish to use for your Background. This time I’ve chosen the two smaller Stars from the Stars Die Set by Kaszazz. Crank your Stack through your preferred Die Cutting & Embossing Machine. For my Ezy Press it’s the Pink Base Plate with the Blue Cutting Plate. * I know these Dies love to cut through, which is what I’m attempting to avoid; to aid in preventing this I’ve used a scrap of SB Paper over the top.
  

  
• Don’t panic if your Dies are cutting through your Card Stack; we’ll fix that up very shortly and no one will be able to tell this has happened. Trust me…I asked The Man if he could see anything amiss with all 3 Cards I’ve created with this Technique, and he didn’t believe me that something was…until I showed him some photos. 😉 Move your Dies to another position on  your Card and Repeat the Previous Step until you’re happy with the coverage and positions.
• Now to reattach your Jigsaw pieces (the pieces that cut through). I’ve used Glossy Accents as I’m attaching Card to Card. I also wanted to ensure my pieces were going to remain where they should be. Be generous, side spillage is fine as we’re trimming edges down before too long. 😉 Attach your ‘Backing Base’ Card and smooth out for an even cover.
  

  

  
• Once you’re confident your glue has dried, flip your design so the back is facing you and trim your edges to fit your chosen size Card. This is the easiest way to trim the edges without ‘gathering’ any bits of Card along the way. It’s taken a few attempts for me to work out this step. Worth every attempt. Trim off any stragglers with your scissors for a neater appearance.
• Now the fun part….DECORATE!!! I’ve added some Silver Edged Ribbon to the first Card as I wanted a more simple look. For the Card I made for this Post, I wanted to have a little more fun. I’ve Ink Blended the edges with Aquamarine Archival Ink (helps to hide any little straggly bits that escaped the scissors!) as well as Ink Blended the edges of my SB Paper Stars prior to using Magic Mount Foam to place them over the matching Stars. Because of the extra dimension I decided to use Super Tape to attach the Backing to the Card Base. The choice is always yours where this is concerned.
  

  

  

  

I’ve had a blast making these Cards. For my second one I’ve done some Heat Embossing on Vellum for my sentiment; the Shooting Star in Silver and Clear Embossing Powder over my Aquamarine Archival sentiment. Just for something a little fancy. I was considering adding a rhinestone brad, mine all have aged brass for the edge which just wouldn’t work this time, so I Heat Embossed that as well in the Silver. It wasn’t until I was moving everything around that I decided that’s a bit OTT, thankfully!!! But it can be done in case you were wondering.

I’m already planning some Cards using the New Leaf Die Kaszazz released with the New Catalogue over the weekend. I think that Die, and either of the New Flourish Dies (Small & Large) would look amazing as a Background done in this Technique. I’ll have to order them and find out with some trial and error….now do I tell The Man I’m in urgent need of supplies or do I wait till my supplies are actually diminished? Oooh, I’ll behave and wait, it’ll be worth it. 😀

Hope this has been easy to follow, and that you enjoy using this Technique for your Card Backgrounds and Scrap Layouts.

Till Next Time!! xxx

 

NEW CATALOGUE IS HERE!!

It’s been a HUGE weekend in the Kaszazz World…Team Training Days (TTD) on both Saturday & Sunday depending on where you live, New Products released as happens at every TTD and the NEW 2016-2017 Catalogue was released!!

I’ve had a quick look through an online version and I have to admit I’m super dooper impressed with all the new products…so on trend with many of them. I’m also impressed with the price changes; I’m pretty sure the Dies have all dropped in price!! 😀

Now it’s time to stash away my Stamps that are retiring to Tahiti, that’s today’s first task; I’ll need to go through and work out which Workshops are no longer current and file them elsewhere on the computer. I enjoy having the Retired Workshops to refer to down the track, and this way I’ve also got a copy of the Instructions. 🙂

Do you do that with older Workshops/Classes? File them away so you’ve got them for rainy days?

Over the next week or two I’ll be sharing plenty of the Catalogue items and the new Workshops as they come to light. It’s soooo exciting!!!

What do you think? What jumps out and grabs you right out of your seat? What doesn’t?

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Let me know in the comments as I’d love to hear your thoughts as well.

Devouring my coffee and the New Catalogue in one go. 🙂

Till Next Time!! xx

Holly Background

While I was skimming through YouTube last weekend I stumbled across a Tutorial showing different uses for Nesting Dies which intrigued me just a little.

So this week I made it my mission to ‘attempt’ a few of the Techniques that were shared. And I’ve got to say, I’m impressed.

Today I’m sharing with you a different Christmas Card using my Holly Die as the Background.

I’ll share the Technique with you on the next Techie Tuesday. It’s certainly easier than I thought. It also opens up a world of possibilities for all the Dies that are in my Collection.

Till then, big weekend ahead in the Kaszazz World with the release of our newest Catalogue and Project Book which means our Retiring Products are heading to Tahiti as of tonight. Also means heaps to share with you next week!! 🍹🍹

Till Next Time, have an amazing Weekend!! xx

 

Techie Tuesday ~ Texture Paste

I’ve been super excited with this Techie Tuesday post. I know I’ve covered Texture Paste before, and I still love doing that Technique with the Embossing Powder (I’ll update that one soon too!); for this week, I’ve tried something I saw on a Post from Tim Holtz over the weekend where Texture Paste had been used with Distress Glitter. I was in love instantly!

Then I was thinking; “That’s great on plain Texture Paste, but what would it look like with some colour added?” So I tried it…and fall in love some more. I’m really thinking this is going to be awesome for some of the Christmas Cards I’ve still to make for this year. 

I’ve had to force myself to stay off Instagram so the end result is still ‘fresh’ for many of you. I have snuck a peek on my Facebook Group of the steps I’ve taken which I’ll share with you now. Fingers crossed this will inspire you to give this Technique a try as well.

Start with your fresh Texture Paste and plop a dollop on your Non Stick Craft Mat. It’s really up to you as to how much you use. I was rather generous for this Post as I’m planning on using this for a few card backgrounds and features, so the more the merrier.

 

I’ve added a few drips of Polished Jade Dylusions Ink Spray before mixing it in with the Paste. If you want a full colour, mix your colour in well, if you’d like more of a marble effect with some of the white showing through, only blend it a little. The choice is yours.

Next I added another dollop of Distress Glitter to my….ummm, well…mess is about the only term I can use to be honest, but it’s such a fun mess. 🙂 Repeat the mixing process with your Distress Glitter until you feel it’s all in there and pretty evenly mixed in. You may be thinking by now that this is a huge FAIL as it won’t appear too sparkly while you’re looking at your lump of mess. Have faith…all shall be revealed.

 

Secure your chosen Stencil and apply your Texture Paste mix. Even now, while you’re spreading the Texture Paste on your Stencil, you’ll probably be thinking “Yeah right, like this is working….where’s my sparkle??” I know I was thinking that at this point. It wasn’t until I removed my Stencil and moved my card that I noticed it was in there. Set aside to allow the Texture Paste to dry naturally. If you’re in a hurry, use a Heat Tool to hurry things along; I was more than happy to let Nature take it’s course this time around.

You’ll see when your Texture Paste is dry more Distress Glitter showing through. It’s subtle for the most part, until you move the card around into different light, then you’ll see why I’m besotted with this Technique. Not that there’s anything wrong with coloured Texture Paste. It is pretty awesome on it’s own truth be told. The Glitter just adds that extra touch of whimsy. 

One big Tip when it comes to trimming your card piece, and I learnt this one by trial and error. Turn your card so the Texture Paste is underneath. Trying to trim with the Paste facing you is possible, messy, frustrating and great for dulling your blade. A world easier to just flip it over and do it upside down. 🙂 Pinkie promise.

I wanted to do a Card that would wow you with the placement of this awesome Technique..fingers crossed this does the above steps some justice. 

 

This Brickwork Stencil just begs to be used as a chimney with Christmas Stockings and Baubles handing from it on either Christmas Cards or a Christmas Scrap Layout. That may be for another Post. 😉 I’ve used the Winter Wonderland Stamps from Kaszazz to add a semi traditional feel. Overall I’m quite happy with the end result. And am now looking forward to making up some more Cards with the same Technique.

What do you think? Is this a Technique you’d love to try yourself? Or have you already done this? Please share your photos if you’ve done this, or are about to jump in feet first (like I did) and do this for the first time as well. 🙂

Till Next Time!! xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2016 Card Trends; still on track?

I love scrolling through Pinterest, as many of us do, and seeing so many different card making styles and designs. And then I get confused; there can be too much of a good thing.

Which got me thinking; “What were the predicted trends for this year?” Kaszazz does a great amount of research on this, and they certainly provide us Consultants plenty of inspiration and beautiful products. And I love how majority of the Workshops are actually designed by Consultants. Which are pretty much on trend.

I’ve been reviewing some of the clips from CHA over the weekend and a number of the predicted trends are certainly still going strong. I’ve even started to enjoy one or two of them! 😀 Others well, hmm, haven’t seen too much of.

Here’s a few of the ones that I’ve come across. Would love to hear your thoughts on these as well. 🙂

1/ Colouring In ~ There’s no doubt this is still HUGE!! I am starting to understand the appeal to be honest. And I am loving the latest Colouring Pads and Kits from Kaszazz. I find it interesting to see the preferred medium is markers. For me, my Watercolour Pencils are easier to work with, and can be just as vibrant. So I’m a little surprised with Markers being so popular for this one.

2/ Rose Gold ~ There’s no doubt metallics are BIG right now. And I for one adore them!!! Then again, I am a girl who loves her Bling, so there’s really no surprise there. But Rose Gold? I’m certainly seeing it in the stores for jewellery and accessories. I just haven’t seen it as much in cards and scrapping. Or are we a little slower here in BrisVegas?

3/ Journals ~ How awesome is this Trend?? To see so many starting to record what I’d still call a diary, to me is brilliant! I do love the Journal Pages and Art that has been flooding the net this year. Very inspiring.

4/ Watercolour ~ Yay!! I do love this one, and now that I’ve worked out how to do it to suit my own quirkiness, love, love, love!! 😀 The washed out looks that can be created to me is just calming and peaceful. I’m preferring this a lot more than ombre, though I still love a good ombre, more for nails though. 😉

5/ Fun Folds ~ When I mentioned this one to The Man over the weekend he laughed. Not because he disagrees; more because a) he knew what I was talking about and b) he’s seen how ‘fun’ these can really be behind the scenes. And looking through my photos from this year I can certainly see why he laughed. I’ve certainly stepped outside my own comfort zones and skill sets and attempted more and more Fun Fold cards as the year has gone on. What would be your fave Fun Fold to create?

6/ Patterns ~ Almost a no brainer. For me, I love Chevron and Tribal patterns 🙂 It’s great to see Cards with more and more Patterns coming through, especially when teamed with bold, bright colours.  Which patterns have caught your eye this year?

7/ Build Up Stamp Sets ~ Multi Layering Stamps to build up an image certainly creates some stunning Stamped Images. I actually don’t have any of these, not quite sure why not. Kaszazz does do a few 2 Step Stamps, none have happened to find their way to my Crafty Play Zone. Hmm, may have to work on that. For those of you awesome readers who have used Build Up Stamps, what do you think?

All in all, there’s some fantastic elements out there you’re sure to find a trend to make your own and enjoy. Would love to hear what you think of these and of any other trends you’ve come across this year. Anyone brave enough to make a prediction for 2017?

Till Next Time!! xx

 

 

Techie Tuesday – Perfect Pearls in Colour

This week for Techie Tuesday I wanted to have some fun…some very messy, get down and dirty kinda fun. With a touch of glam thrown in for good measure. And this is where you now find me. 🙂

I saw a few clips last week while I was laid up that featured so many of the different colour palettes for Perfect Pearls by Ranger. And I love them!! Which got me to thinking about adding my own colour to suit whatever it is I want them to suit.

Previously on other Projects I’ve applied Perfect Pearls directly to freshly stamped images to create a softer, shimmery tint to my image, blended in with watercolour pencils for the same effect and the oldie but goodie, mixed in my Mini Mister Bottle with water to create a very shimmery spray.

 Until today, I’ve never tried to colour Perfect Pearls with re-inkers, so this was my challenge for this Techie Tuesday Post. Goals were to see a) Can it be done? & b) How effective is the end result?  I can safely say….NAILED IT!!

 I’ve used only a smidge of Perfect Pearls on the end of a spatula, added a smidge of a smidge to a tiny plastic container (for my Archival Re-Inker) and separated the rest of the smidge into two hills. One for the beautiful and rich, Fired Brick; the other for my all time fave Distress Colour, Squeezed Lemonade.

For each smidge I’ve only added one teeny drop from the dropper. Archival’s Manganese Blue is in the container to save cleaning up later. A fair bit easier than working on cleaning it all off my Craft Mat I can assure you. If you want it darker, simply add more colour; lighter, add more Perfect Pearls.

To colour my stamped image (done earlier on watercolour card with Stayz On Jet Black) I’ve used a slightly damp, fine paintbrush to pick up some of the Manganese Blue Pearls and colour. Because the Archival Inks don’t react with water as the Distress Inks do, I’m doing this one first and foremost. It did appear to dry rather quickly too, which helps.

I’ve then spritzed water over the entire watercolour card prior to using another fine paintbrush (this time rather wet) to swirl the remaining colours around on their own. I’ve then spritzed some water onto my Craft Mat and ‘combined’ (loosely used) my two Distress Colours together.

 Because of the added moisture, when I applied my Squeezed Lemonade and Fired Brick PP’s to my card, there is a fair amount of….hmmm seepage sounds ugh, bleeding? It ran pretty much, which is fine as I was planning on Fussy Cutting the image at the end. If you’re not into Fussy Cutting, I advise you skip the spritzing of the card and just keep your brush damp, not wet.

 With a very wet brush, I was able to blend all my colours on the image once I’d finished adding my Pearly Inks…the end result has honestly won me over in a big way.

 **When cleaning up afterwards, I’ve found using some Stamp Cleaner works a treat on the tips of my brush that’s been dipped and swirled in the Archival Blends. I kind of ‘massage’ it through the bristles, being gentle and mindful of the brush itself. After the massage, then I swirl in around in a glass of water to rinse and spin so to speak….ooh sounds more like a session at the Day Spa! J Lucky Brush! 😉

As always, if there’s any of the Kaszazz Products you’d like to Order for your own Crafty Play Time, please send me a Private Message, or email and I’ll be in touch. Oooh and I will ask for your forgiveness with the quality of the video. I’m not brilliant at painting while standing up, but was the only way I could manage it today.

Now over to  you…have you tried this? Are you now thinking of trying it? Any other hints or tips you’d love to share with me about Perfect Pearls? I’d love to hear from you and certainly learn some more great techniques for my next Crafty Play Time!

Till Next Time!! xx

Welcome to the Leaning Tower of What Went Wrong!!

Yep, so far, Epic Fail on my part. Sometimes I just can’t get my head around it all…and this Ink Pad Storage Unit is (currently) beating me. I can, for now, accept that. For now.

I’ve decided to walk away from it for a day or two (plus the Naughty Knees are flaring up so gotta go along with their current union action…lol) and regroup. Then……*insert manical laugh* The World Is Mine.…bahahahahahaha!!!!!

Hmm, ok maybe not the World, but I promise I’ll be showing this Unit who’s Boss. 🙂

You game to share an Epic Fail or two so I don’t feel so lonely out here? lol…we’ve all done them, which currently is my only solace. 😀

Till Next Time!! xx

Branching out #2 Jam Making

I’m reblogging this awesome Post from Craft and Other Crazy Plans as Mrs Craft has given me a treasured trip down memory lane today with her Jam Making. And a serious case of the Watering Mouth Drools at the thought of the delicious aromas that have been wafting through her home.

As a Little Girl way, waaaaay back in the day…ok, not quite that far back thank you…I used to watch my Great Aunts make up Strawberry Jam, Apricot Jam, Apple and Rhubarb Jam, Chutney with my Nanna. I remember the heat in the kitchen, the noise and especially the smells.

Does this mean I’m about to resume the tradition? It’s not on the cards, but you never know.

Till Next Time!! xx

 

Welcome to the second part of my ‘branching out’ series, where I explore crafts I’ve not tried before. Regular followers might be surprised to read about my exploits with boiling …

Source: Branching out #2 Jam Making

How To Create It Yourself ~ Exploding Gift Box Tutorial

I’m sure this Tutorial didn’t want to be done today…that or the Universe was telling me to leave it today and try again tomorrow, but tomorrow I’m focusing on other things, so today it is. My frustration at the constant interruptions, phone calls, Google Docs dictation translations (some of them just make me laugh) and then not saving over 3/4 of my dictation..I think I’ve managed to pull it altogether pretty well. Fingers crossed…after all, you’re the Judge on this one. 😉

The original clip I saw for this Box/Card was from Pootles Papercraft, and I loved it enough to Kaszazz it and share the results with you. Time to buckle in and enjoy the ride. Would love to see what you create yourself, so please share your photos on my Facebook Page. 🙂

You’ll Need:

15.2cm X 15.2cm of SB Essentials Card for your Base. (6” x 6”)

10.1cm x 101cm of SB Essentials Card for your Lid. (4” x 4”)

20cm x 4cm SB Paper trimmed to 5 Square pieces each measuring 4cm x 4cm. (7 7/8” x 1 5/8”)

20 ½ cm x 4 ½ cm Co-ordinating SB Essentials Card for Matting trimmed to 5 Square pieces each measuring 4 ½ cm x 4 ½ cm (8 1/8 “ x 1 7/8”)

Super Tape 6mm

Glossy Accents

Paper Trimmer

Envelope Punch Board or Corner Rounder Punch

Scissors

Bone Folder or other Scoring Tool

How To:

Creating the Base & Lid

For your Base, Score one side at 5cm (2”). Turn your Card 90° and repeat until all four sides have been Scored. For your Lid, Score each side at 2 ½ cm (1”) Fold & Burnish your Score Lines to create crisp, sharp lines.

For your Base: Cut away the four outside corner Squares on the Score Lines to create a Cross Shape.

For your Lid: Create Wedged Tabs on the four outside Corners. I find the wedge shape makes for a neater finished product and is easier to ‘line up’ your edges.

I’ve used Glossy Accents to attach my Tabs to the create the Lid, though you are able to achieve the same result by using the Super Tape as an alternative. I find when I’m adhering Card to Card, Glossy Accents shows me some ‘wiggle room’ and allows me to make the necessary adjustments so everything is square and just right.

Line up each Tab with the edge of the piece it will be adhered to and ‘wriggle’ around till everything is lined up perfectly. This is possible with Glossy Accents. With Super Tape, line your corners up prior to adhering together.

You can now set your Lid aside and move onto Punching and creating your decorations.

Punching & Decorating:

Using either your Envelope Punch Board or Corner Rounder Punch, Punch the top two corners on each side of your Base to create a curved finish.

Repeat this Step with each of the 4cm x 4cm pieces of SB Paper for the inside, plus the 4 ½ cm x 4 ½ cm SB Essentials Card you’ll be using for Matting. For the piece of SB Paper and SB Essentials Card for the Lid, punch and round all four corners.

Using Super Tape, adhere an SB Paper Square with a piece of SB Essentials Card, ensuring your rounded corners are at the top. Repeat till all your individual pieces are “paired up”. Attach each Mat to an inside ‘wall’ of your Box using Super Tape. You should now have an elegant looking border around your SB Paper on the inside of your Box Base.

Adhere the remaining Mat (with all four corners rounded) to the middle of the top of your Lid.

Fold up each side of your Box Base and slip the Lid over the top till it sits flush. You’ve now finished your own Exploding Gift Box. Decorate as you desire to suit the purpose required. This makes a great little gift for Teachers, Co workers, Hostess Gifts and will be perfect for little Christmas Presents.

 

I’ve adapted this Tutorial to suit Kaszazz Products. The inspiration has come from Pootles Papercraft originally.

If you’d like a PDF version of this Tutorial please send me a message with your email address. 🙂

Adapted by Cari Neill, CraftyCAN, Independent Kaszazz Consultant #109477